VERDICT: Cain strikes to make it six of the best for play-off chasing Steelmen

It ended up being a night to savour for the Steelmen and their fans.

Combative midfielder Cain Noble was the unlikely hero as he fired home the winning goal with just seven minutes remaining of what had been the tightest of battles.

Clear-cut chances were few and far between on an evening when both sides cancelled each other out.

But the fact Corby went toe-to-toe with Spalding and inflicted only a fifth defeat of the season on them just shows how far they have come under boss Gary Setchell.

The Steelmen are just in the groove every manager, player and fan dreams of.

First and foremost, they are working hard and with confidence sky high they are now setting up a very real shot at promotion.

And the fans, clearly, are right on board as the public heard Setchell’s call and descended on Steel Park to set a new record attendance at the ground for a midweek league match.

Setchell was forced into one change to his starting line-up following the weekend win over Sutton Coldfield Town with Jordan O’Brien ruled out with a quad injury so Toby Hilliard returned with Connor Furey being named among the substitutes.

Former Steelman Elliot Sandy, now in interim charge of Spalding started himself on the bench while other ex-Corby players James Clifton, Sam Warburton and Dan Bucciero were included in the Tulips’ starting 11.

The game was only four minutes old when the Steelmen suffered a major setback when Charley Sanders, who scored twice on his debut at the weekend, pulled up with what looked like a hamstring problem and had to be replaced by Kern Miller.

And what followed was a half in which not a great deal happened.

There was no shortage of effort from either side but they cancelled each other out for long spells. Indeed, it took 39 minutes for Corby to register the first corner of the game.

Warburton had Spalding’s best opening when he saw a shot blocked while, at the other end, Corby finished the half well with Tsaguim Florian and Danny Gordon both sent efforts wide of the target.

Things opened up slightly in the second half and Spalding really should have taken the lead soon after the restart when Nathan Stainfield headed the ball on from a free-kick and Sam Cartwright blasted over the bar from close-range.

It remained nip and tuck after that and, for all the world, it looked like heading for a goalless draw, which both sides probably would have taken.

But then, with seven minutes left, the breakthrough came.

Centre-half Michael Jacklin somehow found himself on the right wing after exchanging passes with Kalern Thomas.

Jacklin’s cross towards the edge of the area was met by Thomas and, after a bit of a scramble, Noble produced a fine finish to send the ball into the far top corner to spark pandemonium on the terraces.

Sandy responded by bringing himself off the bench and Spalding reacted well to the setback.

And they had a big chance to level things up and a right-wing corner was met by the head of Dylan Edge but he could only send it over the crossbar.

Toby Hilliard saw red late on as he was sent-off for a second bookable offence and, despite seven-and-a-half agonising minutes of stoppage-time, the Steelmen stayed solid to seal yet another success.

Back in the top five after such a long time, the momentum is certainly with Setchell and his players.

But another big game awaits at Sporting Khalsa - the team they dislodged from fifth place - on Saturday.

There’s no rest for the wicked…

Steelmen: Bukowski; Jacklin, Sanders (sub Miller, 4 mins), H Thomas; K Thomas, Thompson-Matthews (sub Collins, 86 mins), Noble, Slinn, Gordon; Florian (sub Arthur, 73 mins), T Hilliard. Subs not used: Milne, Furey.

Spalding: Duggan; Bucciero (sub Peters, 60 mins), Stainfield, Cartwright, Warburton; L Hilliard (sub Sandy, 83 mins); Edge, Jones, Broccoli, Clifton; Ansu (sub Rolt, 70 mins). Subs not used: Draper, Frost.

Referee: Lee Hartley.

Goal: Noble (83 mins, 1-0).

Bookings: Jones, T Hilliard, Clifton, Gordon (all fouls).

Sending-off: T Hilliard (second bookable offence).

Northants Telegraph man-of-the-match: Matty Slinn – this was the sort of night where the dirty work was crucial. Slinn has quietly been going about his business during this fine run and he stood out on this occasion. He won tackles, won headers and used the ball well. He’s turning into a key player.

Attendance: 659.